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Primary sourcePainting1651

Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving after R. Vaughan

after R. Vaughan · 1651

A 1651 engraving of Hobbes based on a work by R. Vaughan, showing how he was publicly portrayed at the height of his fame.

This engraving shows how Hobbes was publicly portrayed in the year Leviathan, his most famous work, was published.

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Black-and-white line engraving of a middle-aged man with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a dark skullcap, a large white collar, and a dark gown. The engraved caption below reads Thom. Hobbes Nobilis Anglus, Ser. Principi Walliae a studiis praep, dated 1647 in handwriting. Cream paper border.
After R. Vaughan, Thomas Hobbes, line engraving, 1651. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white line engraving of Thomas Hobbes, made after R. Vaughan in 1651, the year Leviathan was published. It is part of the Wellcome Collection's iconographic holdings.

Why it matters

Published portraits like this one spread an image of Hobbes to a wider public at the very moment his most famous and controversial work appeared. The Latin caption describes him as a distinguished Englishman connected to the Prince of Wales's studies, reflecting his public role as a scholar and tutor.

Look closer

  • Why might an engraving of Hobbes be published in the same year as Leviathan?
  • What does the Latin inscription suggest about how Hobbes wanted to be seen, or was seen by others?
  • What can't a formal engraved portrait tell us about Hobbes as a person?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hobbes on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Engraved title page of Hobbes's Leviathan: a giant crowned figure made of many tiny people holds a sword and crozier over a landscape of hills and a city. Below, a central banner bears the title and author's name, flanked by vignettes of castle, church, crown, mitre, cannon, weapons, battle, and a council.Book

Primary source

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes · 1651

Engraved frontispiece of the 1642 Paris edition of Hobbes's De Cive. Top panel shows a crowded scene of figures in clouds and a fiery landscape with a winged angel and a group of people. Bottom panel has a central banner titled Elementorum Philosophiae Sectio Tertia De Cive with Latin text, flanked by a crowned female figure holding scales labeled Imperium and a figure with a bow and spear labeled Libertas, with a landscape and the word Religio across the middle.Book

Primary source

De Cive

Thomas Hobbes · 1642

Line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes, a man with long wavy hair, a large white collar, and dark robes, shown in an oval frame inscribed with his name in Latin. Below is a Latin inscription and the printer's line 'London, Printed for Will. Crooke'.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving

Book

Primary source

The Elements of Law

Thomas Hobbes · 1640

Engraved title page reading 'The Workes of Homer Engl: by T: Hobbes', with a bust of Homer above, two armoured warriors with spears flanking the title, and an oval portrait of Hobbes below. Imprint reads London, printed for W. Crooke, 1677.Artifact

Secondary source

Title Page of The Workes of Homer, Translated by Thomas Hobbes

1677

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